William m



L. M. SHARPS,'Deod. W M SHARPS Admlmstmtor WATER WHEEL.

No. 443,151 Patented Deni 28, 1890.

' UNITED STATES PATENT Fries,

LEVI MADISON SHARPS, OF LAKE VIEW', OREGON; IVILLIAM M. SHARESADMINISTRATOR OF SAID LEVI MADISON SIIARPS, DECEASED.

WATER-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,151, dated December23, 1890.

Application filed May 11,1889. Serial No. 310,391. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEVI MADISON SHARPS, of Lake View, in the county ofLake and State of Oregon, have invented a new and Improved\Vater-W'heel, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The invention relates to water-wheels, such as shown and described inLetters Patent No. 126.752, granted to me May 14, 1872.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved water-wheelwhich is simple and durable in construction and very effective inoperation.

The invention consists in certain parts and details and combinations ofthe same, as will be hereinafter described,'and then pointed out in theclaim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a plan View of the improvement. Fig. 2 is a sectional sideelevation of the same on the line 5c of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectionalplan view of the same on the line y y of Fig. 2. Fig.4 is an invertedplan view of the'apparatus, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detailview on the line pg of Fig. 1.

The improved water-wheel A is provided with a circular bed-plate B,having in its center on top a step or pivot 0. To the under side of thebed plate B are secured the radial arms D, projecting beyond the edge ofthe bed-plate and supporting the vertical annular rin1 E, carrying ontop a ring F, fastened to the spider G, through which passes loosely inthe usual manner the main driving-shaft ll, supporting the wheel I,which is located above the bedplatc B inside of the annular rim E.

The wheel I is provided with a spider J, fastened on the shaft H andmounted to turn on the step or pivot C of the bed-plate B. On the outerends of the arms of the spiderJ are secured the buckets K, which aresimilar in shape and construction to the buckets shown in the patentabove referred to. On the insides of the buckets are held the gates L,arranged in a circle and adapted to be opened and closed so as to permitthe water to flow to the buckets K and to shut it off from the same.

Each of the gates L is secured on a shaftN, having its lower bearings ina disk 0, held above the spider J and supported on a sleeve 0, securedto the bridge G. The upper bearings of the shafts N are in thestationary ring F, and on the upper end of each shaft is secured a leverP, extending outward and provided near its outer end with a slot P, intowhich extends a pin Q, secured on a ring R, mounted to turn on the topplate E. 011 part of the periphery of the ring R is formed the segmentof a gear-wheel S, meshing into a pinion T, secured on a short shaft U,stepped on the top plate F, and adapted. to be operated by a suitablekey inserted from above.

In the bed-plate B is formed an aperture B, adapted to be covered by aslide V, held in suitable guideways on the under side of the bed-plateB, as is plainly shown in Fig. 4. The aperture B serves to remove thesand accumulating on the top of the bed-plate B.

The operation is as follows: In the position shown in Fig. 3 the gates Lare open, and the water flowing into the opening of the top ring Fpasses by the gates L to the buckets K, whereby the wheel I is turnedand the power transmitted by the shaft H to suitable machinery. \Vhenthe operator desires to stop the wheel I, he turns the shaft U so thatthe pinion T is rotated and the ring R is turned slightly, whereby thelevers P are carried along, so that the shafts N are turned in theirbearings and the gates L are closed. The wa ter is now held inside ofthe wheel and cannot escape through the buckets K. from the bucketspasses downward to the ra dial arms D and out of the water-wheel.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent A water-wheel consisting in the outerstationary cylindrical casing E, the top ring F, fixedly secured on topof the casing, the bot tom disk 13, having a series of arms D connectingit with the lower end of the casing, the annular series of buckets K,rotating under the top rim within the casing, the rotary The water vspider J, supporting the said buckets and I slots of the arms 1, andmeans for rotating supported centrally on the step C, the shaft the ringR, the circular central space Within II, connected at its lower end withthe hub of the series of gates being open at the top for the spider, thestationary disk 0 above the I the column of water, substantially as set5 spider, the annular series of gates L, susforth.

pended ins de of the ser1es 0f buckets and l LEVI MADISON SHARPSIHOX'ldQd with vertical axes ournaled 1n ring F and disk 0 and havingarms I, slotted at Witnesses: their outer ends, a ring R, rotating ontpp of l JAMES BEDWELL,

10 ring F and having vertical pins entering the t \V. M. SHARPS.

